


And Fate Shall Not Be Tested

by witchbreaker



Category: Naruto
Genre: Song fic, fanfiception
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:28:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4914181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witchbreaker/pseuds/witchbreaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shikako Nara and Itachi Uchiha were always willingly to give their all for their loved ones. Their doom was that fate demanded them to go that far. </p><p>Based on Dreaming of Sunshine by Silver Queen</p><p>Song is Who We Are by Imagine Dragons</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And Fate Shall Not Be Tested

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE SEE NOTES FOR TRIGGERS

_Up in the morning_  
_Up in the evening_  
_Picking down clocks_  
_When the birds come out to eat_  
_Oh, to eat_

“You need to come with me.” Those are the first words Shikako hears from Sai since Naruto’s farewell party. She is out on a mission with two other Special Jonin in the middle of Land of Rivers. It was a B-Rank retrieval job that had already been completed. Sai _wasn’t supposed to be here._

“Why?” She asks, trying to stall. Her two ‘teammates’ have stepped back to form a neat triangle with Sai. Boxing her in instead of having her back. Damn it, she knew she shouldn’t have trusted the new faces. 

“My superior wants to speak with you.” 

_Yeah, that’s never going to happen._

“Can’t this wait until we’re back in Konoha? I have a mission to complete.” She slides her hands into her pocket and slouches. Looking like every bored Nara that has ever lived and desperately hoping they haven’t noticed that her resistance seals have been deactivated. 

“I’m sorry, but this is urgent. Hokage-sama will understand if you are late.” To his credit, Sai actually looks reluctant to do this. His usual smile is gone and he’s not going for his weapons yet. 

“Why don’t you tell me what he wants then I can tell you and you can tell him while I finish up my mission.” 

“He wants to speak with you.” That appears to be limit to what Sai can tell her. Shikako fakes a sigh. 

“Okay, I’m coming.” She takes a step towards him and plants a seal as soon as her foot hits the ground. “Gravity Well!” 

A seal spirals out from around her and doesn’t stop for a good ten feet. It catches the Special Jonin making them hit the dirt so hard they form a small crater. Sai escapes it and starts drawing. 

_Up on the mountain_  
_Down in the King’s den_  
_Pushing these blocks in the heat of the afternoon_  
_Oh, afternoon_

Their fight is short and brutal. Shikako doesn’t want to kill him but she can’t end up in Danzo’s clutches. Sai is bound by duty to take her in alive but is hesitant. She drags him down to the ground and beats him into submission. 

Shikako stares at him as Sai struggles to stand after she slapped several seals on him. Shikako switches the grip on her kunai and doesn’t want to do this. Sai raises his own fist and punches. Shikako decks him in the face as his barely nicks her shoulder. 

_I’m sorry._ His blow says. 

_I’m sorry too but I have to do this._ Hers tells him. 

He crumples to the ground. Out for now. Shikako stares at him and wants to scream. But she can’t because Danzo most definitely has a backup plan if Sai didn’t manage to take her and he has enough power within the village to make sure she never manages to get back to the safety of her friends and family. 

She can’t go home. Shikako swallows. If she can’t go home, then there isn’t any other place for her. Hidden Sand is too dependent on their alliance with Konoha to risk concealing a missing nin, Mist was in the same position and Shikako didn’t know Mei that well, and the rest of her allies could be stomped to pieces without the official support of the village. 

She can’t go home. 

Everything feels off balance as Shikako races through the landscape. How long had Danzo been planning this? What was the cause? Was it the bunker that she revealed months ago? Was it something else? Did he guess that she knew the truth about the Uchiha Massacre? 

These are easy things to think about. Much nicer than paying attention to the forehead protector and jacket with her clan symbols that she takes off and shoves into a storage scroll. To the things she removes to hide her connection to Konoha. 

She can’t go home. 

_We were never welcome here_  
_We were never welcome here at all_  
_Nooo_

The first people to find her are a Rock Chunin team that Shikako kills and then steals their supplies. She has been inside their border for a week. She hates that she’s relieved that they found her. Her own supplies had long since disappeared. 

The second is a ROOT team that tries to take her alive. In the heat of the desert, Shikako blows them all to piece and then seals them away. It’s risky staying around Hidden Sand’s north-west border but this nameless land is perfect for hiding away. Nobody looks twice at a young girl with no special features and dirty clothes wandering around. Even the ninja don’t give her a second glance as long as she makes sure to keep her chakra hidden. She’s just one of many orphans in the street. 

The third is another ROOT team. There is someone she recognizes on it and Shikako nearly looses an arm before she kills him too. As she kneels surrounded by the bodies, Shikako desperately wishes she hadn’t been born into this life. 

How was she supposed to avert Pain’s invasion and Madara’s plan while she was on the run? She couldn’t contact her allies, she couldn’t train, she couldn’t study. She was less than useless. 

She sat there for a long time until another person came across her sense and she had to move. Being useless was better than being in Danzo’s grasp. 

_It’s who we are_  
_Doesn’t matter if we’ve gone too far_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s all okay_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s not our day_

Itachi finds her because of course he does. The worse thing is that Shikako isn’t even sure he was searching for her on purpose, but he has taken a seat across from her in this crummy bar and there is nothing she can do about it. 

“Hello.” Shikako stares at her cup, hoping that greeting would be enough to get him to say why he was here. 

“I did not expect to find my brother’s former teammate here.” What did that mean? Did people think she had deserted? Did people think she was dead? Was that why she hadn’t even come across a rumor of her friends looking for her in the last four months? 

“Well, I’m full of surprises.” 

“That is true.” The silence extends for an uncomfortable amount of time. Shikako breaks first. 

“So, why are you here? I doubt this is your usual kind of hang out.” 

“I go where I am needed.” Well, that was pretty much a non-answer. “Why are you here?” 

“It’s a good hiding spot.” Shikako says with a shrug. 

“I would have thought Hidden Sand or Mist would have been a better choice.” 

“Their alliance with Konoha is far too important to risk over a missing nin and Danzo won’t settle for anything less than my head right now.” The last ROOT unit had definitely been trying to kill her. Wait, why had she said the bit about Danzo? 

Shikako froze and then made a break for the door. Itachi easily caught her and pulled them into alley. She struggled but it was useless. For some reason she couldn’t place seals and he was far to strong to overpower. Was she already stuck in his genjutsu too or was Shisui’s eye really that good? 

“Let go of me!” 

“No.” Itachi pinned her against the wall or maybe this was all in her head. “What does Danzo want with you?” 

The words came out and there was nothing Shikako could do to stop them. 

_So you,_  
_Save us from what we are_  
_Don’t look clear_  
_It’s all uphill from here_  
_Ohhhhh_

Itachi took it all. He stripped her of every secret that she had, every piece of knowledge from this life and the last, and didn’t even have the courtesy of ending her life when he was done. 

“You’re not lying.” He might sound stunned by that fact. Shikako can’t tell. She doesn’t even care at this point. She has screamed herself hoarse, cried, attempted to end her own life, and, in one memorable moment, puked all over herself when Itachi stopped an escape attempt with a fist to her gut. There was nothing left to give. She was too strung out. Her whole body hurt from his interrogation and her mind was too raw to even slip away. 

“I told you that.” 

“Sasuke is going to go insane and join Madara.” That was the part of the story that Itachi had questioned her the most about. 

“I don’t know. Things have changed. Sasuke’s different. It, it might be enough.” God, why wouldn’t he just kill her already? Itachi crouches down in front of her. 

“So this future that you….learned about in a previous life can be avoided?” 

“Yes.” Shikako believed that. She had to because if it couldn’t be then….. 

“How were you playing on removing Danzo?” Huh, that’s a new question. 

“I don’t know. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. He’s pretty much untouchable right now and am, was, just a Special Jonin.” 

Itachi stares off to the distance for a long time. Shikako watches with the last bits of curiosity she has left. She wants to die and forget about all of this. Surely, she wouldn’t remember her last life twice in a row. 

“If Sasuke is not there to kill Danzo at the Kage Summit then he will succeed in becoming the Commander General for the United Shinobi Alliance. It will mean their failure in the Fourth Shinobi War, Danzo will never be able to handle the other forces. Even if they win If than it will be impossible to dethrone him from the position of Hokage. He will use that influence to turn Konoha into the new Bloody Mist.” Itachi seem to be saying this for her benefit for some reason. She didn’t understand why. 

“Yeah, that sounds right.” 

“There is no one in Konoha currently that is capable of detecting Shisui’s eye nor able to combat his Infinite Mangekyo. If Tsunade is put into a coma during Pain’s attack he will most certainly be elected Hokage.” 

“Can you get to your point?” Itachi turns to look at her, face set in determination. 

“Fate seems to have a desire for things to play out as it had been in your…manga.” Shikako just blinked at him. Maybe she had been punched around too much to be able to make sense of what was going on anymore. 

“Really, I need a point.” 

“You need to kill Danzo before he gets to the Kage Summit in two years.” Shikako stares at him. 

“You are out of your mind.” 

“You are the only one who can do it.”

“You do it! You already have Mangekyou and know all that I do! Plus nobody is going to be surprised when you kill the Hokage.” 

“I am already ill and, if your knowledge is correct, will barely be able to fake my defeat to Sasuke by that time. I will certainly not be able to kill Danzo not to mention that Pain will expect me to take part in the invasion. Either way, my death will be meaningless.” 

“And what makes you think I can pull it off?” 

“Your growth in the last year has proven that you have the potential to be one of the greatest ninja alive,” Yeah right. “your knowledge of his techniques and resources is second to none, and there is no one I can think of who would be trustworthy enough to be given this knowledge. It has to be you.” 

“You…are absolutely frigging insane.” But Shikako saw his point. She sure was hell wasn’t going to repeat what she had told Itachi to anyone else and in a battle, foreknowledge as the best edge you could possibly have. “And how exactly do you think I can possibly get strong enough to face him? I can barley go two weeks without getting ambushed by ROOT hit squads.” 

“I know of places you can train in peace.” Shikako rolled onto her back. 

“Fine. I’ll do it but this _sucks._ ” Because really? _This_ is how it realigns itself to deal with the ripples she made? Couldn’t it have just let things go? Itachi says nothing to that but she gets the feeling that he agrees. 

_Up in the attic_  
_Down in the cellar_  
_Lost in the static_  
_Coming back for more_  
_Oh, for more_

Itachi’s hideout, or hideouts as it turns out, are unused Akatsuki bases. Most of them were half destroyed during the original Akatsuki’s fight with Hanzo and all of the abandoned when the members shrunk from nearly a six hundred to less than a dozen. The forces had been integrated into Rain shinobi forces proper and had no use for tiny hide-holes that wreaked of mold and leaked. 

Itachi drops her off at one, gives her a list of seven others, and orders her to stay at none of them longer than three days. Shikako makes a noise of agreement before exploring her new hidey-hole. It was a former two, possibly three man, outpost that had the bare necessities. She circles through it twice before laying down traps. Finishing, she leans against a wall and takes a deep breath. 

Okay, so what does she need to defeat Danzo? She’ll need a way to counter his Sharingan. The match will be over as soon as it starts if Shisui’s eye works on her. Shadow-Sight will be useless because, as Itachi proved, it doesn’t need to make eye contact for it to work. Perhaps her Shadow-Split can help. If she can make it work in a fight it might be able to interrupt the genjutsu like a Bijuu. 

His Wood Release would also be a problem. Combined with Izanagi, it made him pretty much impossible to kill. She would have to either separate it from him or try the impossible task of out lasting him. 

This wasn’t including dealing with his ability to place paralyzing seals on people, his powerful Wind Release, Shikako was pretty sure that remembered him having a Summons too, and that wasn’t even getting into how his general strength was enough to fight toe-to-toe with Sasuke post-Shippuden. Shikako closed her eyes. 

She didn’t want to do this, didn’t want this on her shoulders. But that meant nothing. She was the only one who could do this so she would. Shikako pushed herself off the wall and drew her sealing notes out of a storage seal. She didn’t have time to waste. 

_Out with the reason_  
_In with the season_  
_Taking down names in my book of Jealousy_  
_Jealousy_

“You need to increase the amount of time that you can maintain the Shadow-Duet.” Itachi informs her as she hauls herself up from the ground. He takes time to train her whenever they meet up. It isn’t often, he has missions from Akatsuki and Shikako can’t stay in one spot too long, but it is helpful. 

Itachi confirms that Shisui’s eye can’t effect her as long as her Shadow-Split is working. Shikako has combined it with the Gelel stone to turn herself into a second shadow. That nullifies any genjutsu dependent on making eye contact. It seems to help even out the splitting of her spiritual chakra though it leaves her emotionally numb afterwards. 

“I know that.” She has gotten it up to two minutes but it’s not enough. 

“How is your storage seal coming along?” Itachi gives her a hand out of the mud. They are in island off of Hidden Mist and the fog makes everything perpetually damp. 

“It is coming. I believe I can link it with Gelel stone.” As nice as the transformation was, Shikako needed to be able to access the stone’s raw power. 

“Hn.” Itachi lets her go and makes to leave.

“Wait,” a spark of emotion breaks through the numbness. Shikako hasn’t had a conversation with anyone in weeks let alone one that wasn’t filled with lies. “Please stay.” 

“I am expected to report in shortly.” Itachi doesn’t give any hint that he will stay so she pushes on. 

“But not now. You can spare an hour or two. We could trade stories about our time in Konoha.” _About Sasuke_ is implied. Itachi turns to face her and she knows she has him. He hasn’t heard anything about his baby brother that wasn’t a skill assessment since he left the village. She knows he must crave stories about him just like Shikako craves news about her own brother. 

“One hour.” Shikako almost smiles. They sit on a rock and Shikako talks about a few of her easier missions. The one where they had to complete the Paw Encyclopedia, the race in the Land of Tea, the Waterfall coup they stopped. Emotions subtly flicker through Itachi’s face. Shikako can’t decide what they are so she ignores them. 

“I wish….” Itachi murmurs when she finishes. He doesn’t complete that thought but Shikako can infer. 

_You wish you had been there don’t you? You wish that you could have seen your brother happy and strong. Been the one to greet him when he came home whole and successful._

“He’s going to be okay. He has friends and allies who will keep him on the right track.” The words seem paltry out here. Where they are fighting so hard to be ready to fend of the coming darkness. 

“Shikamaru was promoted to Jonin.” Itachi switches the conversation and Shikako breath hitches. She had been running for so long that the last word she had heard about him was before her defection. “He was assigned a Genin team but failed them.” 

“How? The bell test? Have Ino and Choji also been promoted?” She needs to know. She needs confirmation that they are alright. 

“I do not know. Neji Hyuga and Sasuke have also been promoted though there are consistent rumors that Sasuke has been apart of ANBU for some time.” 

Shikako leans back and stifles the envy of Itachi’s abilities. He can walk through a village and learn this, he can hide well enough to gather information without anyone know, he has contacts that allow him to keep some kind of tab on Konoha. Shikako has to depend on her stealth skills and people ignoring her in order to survive. 

_What a pair we make._

“I guess it was going to happen sooner or later. Both Neji and Shikamaru were Jonins before Shippuden arrived. Did you hear anything else?” 

“Tsunade-hime has taken on a clanless girl as her apprentice.”

“Good. That would be Sakura. She was suppose to be a member of Team 7 but I took her spot.” Shikako says. Itachi nods and stands up. He’s been here for longer than he was suppose too but neither of them care. “See you around.” 

“Goodbye.” Is all he says before disappearing. Shikako picks a direction and heads out herself. 

_We were never welcome here_  
_We were never welcome here at all_  
_Nooo_

“Die!” Shikako kills the ninja who says that with barely a second thought. Things are looking bad. A dozen ninja have cornered her inside a quarry. They have forced her into a hard place. She has been avoiding using any of her signature techniques since her defection but her other jutsu haven’t been working. 

Dodging a barrage of kunai, Shikako knows she has two options. Be killed here or use her full abilities and give Danzo a lead on her. 

A blade skids across her stomach and she knows which is the only option. 

“Touch Blast.” The seal is planted on two ninja before they have any idea what has happened. The explosions draw the attention of their comrades and that opening is all she needs to turn the battle into her favor. The last remaining ninja stares up at her in terror as she raises her blade to finish him off. 

“Shika-Shikabane-hime.” He whispers as she kills him. The blood splatters onto her face and she brushes it off with shaky hands. 

_“The Shikabane-hime strikes again.”_ She can hear Ino saying. It’s funny how a nickname that she hates makes her crave home. She wants to be back in Ino’s family flowershop, getting teased, and soaking in the scent of flowers. She wants-Shikako stuffs those thoughts away. She doesn’t get what she wants. 

She tries to clean up evidence of the fight. It doesn’t work and ROOT finds her again for the first time in three months. 

It’s a much stronger team than the last one. Shikako gets away but they follow her. It takes six days to kill all of them. She recognizes none of them thankfully. Pushing her hair out of her eyes, Shikako idly notes that she should cut it again. Along with moving a few of the seals on her body. It’s summer now and it’s getting to hot to be completely covered all the time without raising suspicion.

_It’s who we are_  
_Doesn’t matter if we’ve gone too far_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s all okay_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s not our day_

Shikako stares at her prisoner. ROOT had been finding her too easily lately. At first she had thought it was that slip up last month with the quarry fight, but now she is sure it is something else. It can’t be a coincidence that they tried to attack her just after a meeting with Itachi. She stares at him with uncaring eyes as her stomach rolls. 

“You are going to answer my questions.” He’s not intimidated by her. That’s not surprising considering her growth spurt was pretty much just a spurt and she’s been run ragged from their fight. 

She doesn’t want to do this. She doesn’t want to make him scared and hurt just to get him to talk. That’s not who she is. Shikako takes that thought and discards it. The time when she could afford to have mercy on her enemies has long since ended. She uses her Shadow Possession to channel her anger directly into him. 

He breaks out in a sweat and she knows that she has gotten past his guard. From there she feeds him her desire for revenge, her anger born from being forced into a corner, how little she cares about whether or not he survives what she is going to do to him. 

**“You are going to answer my questions.”**

He breaks. After some pulled off finger nails, torn out muscles, and some badly done healing that she does just to give him the idea that she can keep this up forever. He tells her that she was spotted with Itachi and that’s how they have been tracking her. They also have an accurate description of what she looks like nowadays. Anything else he knows is kept hidden by the seal on his tongue. 

Shikako slits his throat and disposes of the body. Later, far later than she wants to admit, she’ll throw up. From there she’ll start to cry over everything. She might just, possibly, think about the fact that that didn’t bother her as much as it should have. 

_Because it’s who we are_  
_Doesn’t matter if we’ve gone too far_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s all okay_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s not out day_

It’s her birthday when Itachi tracks her down to a deserted outpost in the Land of Earth. She can sense that Kisame is near by which is sort of surprising given how Itachi had always made sure to loose him before meeting her. 

“Hey,” Shikako says as she continues to work on the chakra storage seal. She is pretty sure she has it perfected but she wants to be positive. 

“You have been avoiding me.” 

“ROOT found out we’ve been hanging around each other. I thought giving us some space would be a good idea.” Itachi doesn’t correct her and the silence stretches out. “How have you been?” 

“Fine.” Fair enough. It’s not like either of them were ever going to be okay ever again. 

“Any reason you’re here?”

“Your sudden disappearance was concerning.” Shikako looked away from her notes. Studying Itachi’s face she had the brief thought that he might actually care about her. Sure, they were allies trying to save the world but Shikako had always assumed that she was alone in thinking that they were friends. Maybe he too had come to enjoy their short talks in the overwhelming loneliness that was their life. 

“Sorry.” She mumbled. 

“Do not apologize. You had a valid reason for vanishing. How has your training been coming along?” He asks. Shikako slides from her perch and seals her notes away. 

“Why don’t you find out?” 

They spar and Itachi wins, as per usual, but it is a much closer match than last time. It gives Shikako some hope that her match with Danzo might be possible to win. 

“Will you look at this?” Her voice is monotone as she tries to shake off the effects of Shadow Duet. Her hands stiffly hand Itachi her notes about the chakra storage seal. 

“It seems correct.” He hands it back to her. She puts it away and takes out her ink and brush. 

“Then place it on me.” The sooner this can be done; the sooner she can start funneling her chakra into it. 

“Are you sure that is ready?”

“No, but I do not need to be sure.” He looks at her for a moment before nodding. His Sharingan memorizes the seal and they get to work. Shikako has it placed in the center of her back. A key point of contact with many of her chakra paths but not central enough to make her automatically pull on it every time she uses her chakra. That is important because the Gelel stone is located in the middle of it. The last thing she needs is to be unable to do anything but transform

“Do you ever want to return to home?” Shikako asks him as the lines are being drawn. Itachi stills then turns towards her. 

“Do not think about it. You are never going to be able to go home, Shikako. Dwelling on it will only increase the pain.” It is clear those are words he has lived by for a long time. “Focus only on your goal and that will see you through.” 

She nods and asks no more questions. 

“Seal.” Itachi commands. The ink twists and forms a complex double spiral with multiple seals hidden within it. “It appears stable. Trying preforming a jutsu.” 

Shikako stands up and does a simply replacement. That works without an issue. Her chakra not even noticing the new seal. 

“Now try the seal.” Shikako does an Earth Wall. The chakra surge is far more than she is expecting and the wall ends up much bigger than she intended. Closer inspection proves that it is also not as stable either. She will have to work on this. 

“Kisame is coming this way.” She notes out loud. 

“I see. Leave then and I will find you later.” 

“I understand.” 

“I do not forget to practice with the seal. Having it will not be enough to win the battle.” At his words a little spark of mischief winks into existence inside of her. 

“Yes, Itachi-sempai.” She says. The words catch him by surprise but he doesn’t contradict her. She takes off and disappears into the cliffs that have given the Land of Earth their name. 

_So you_  
_Save us from what we are_  
_It don’t look clear_  
_It’s all uphill from here_

In her defense, she ran into Kakashi because it she was trying to get around a ROOT unit and three Rock Jonin squads. He was also hiding his chakra signature much better than he use to. Perhaps it was hubris to assume that the squads were all for her. 

“Shikako-chan,” His voice is pain and grief. For the first time in a long time, Shikako is confused about what she should do. 

“Ah, hello Kakashi-sensei.” She wants to add something to that but what can she say? Sorry, I deserted but I have to kill the guy that is going to become to Hokage to stop the world from ending because some crazy Uchiha didn’t die when he should have? And I can’t tell you how I know this because you’ll think I’m insane?

“You’re alive?” Well, that answers the question about what people thought had happened to her. “What happened?” 

Shikako is saved from answering by the Rock squads. They attack with all the subtly of a hammer. For a few precious minutes, she and Kakashi are fighting on the same side. The shadows she casts working in tandem with the lightning he uses. The light reflects off his ANBU mask making it all that much fiercer. It’s a beautiful moment if you ignore the blood and guts flying everywhere. 

As soon as the fight is finished, Shikako takes off. Kakashi is at her heels in an instant. 

“Shikako-chan, what happened?”

“It’s complicated.” She tells him, realizing the ROOT unit is up ahead. She’ll have to deal with them before she shakes Kakashi. 

“We have time.” Shikako wants to laugh at that. None of them have time. Naruto is supposed to return in a month. 

“Not that much time.” 

“Come back to Konoha with me. Let us help figure it out.” 

“Sorry Sensei, but I can’t go back.” At those words she makes a sharp turn and slams directly into the ROOT unit. Two of them are dead before they have any idea what happens. The third and fourth see her but don’t have time to react and the fifth and sixth go down just as Kakashi arrives. She uses the moment that he stops to take in the scene to plant a knockout seal on him. It actually takes three to force him into unconscious. 

That fight hurts. She didn’t want to injure him. She wants to go back home and see Shika, Mom, Dad, Sasuke, Ino, Choji, _everyone._ She wants to stop running and return to the safety of her home. Wants to feed the deer and train with her team again but that’s not an option. Danzo has to die and only she can do it. If she returned she would never get the opportunity. 

While each part of her screams that this is wrong, she trades blows with her teacher. Kakashi’s mask doesn’t hide his emotions so she knows that he is just as conflicted about this fight as she is. It doesn’t make her feel any better about standing over his crumpled form. 

Shikako laughs. It’s short, vicious, and gives way to quickly stifled tears. She needs to move. Kakashi will wake up in no time at all and she needs to be long gone by then. She hides him, puts some traps up that he will have no trouble avoiding, and vanishes. 

_They say we’re crazy_  
_They say we’re crazy_  
_They say we’re crazy_  
_They say we’re crazy_

“Gaara has been kidnapped.” Shikako informs her shadow. The Shadow-Split comes easily to her nowadays. She really shouldn’t be using it to have a decent conversation but Itachi has been even busier than usual and there is no one else. 

“Pain will make his move on Konoha soon then.” It says. Well, she says. Shikako has come to think of the shadow as Shikako while her body is….whoever her past-self has turned into. 

“Itachi says they haven’t had any problems getting the other Biju so Akatsuki should stick to the story.” 

“We must start researching the area for the ambush.” Shikako nods. She has a rough idea of the route Danzo will travel in but the region is far to wide to leave the preparations to the last minute. “Everything will be over soon.” 

“Yeah, that will be nice.” She cancels the technique and becomes whole again. It doesn’t feel right. Shikako feels like she should be two people instead of one. Her clan would probably be horrified to learn just how much she has split down the middle, but she doesn’t care. 

It’s almost over. She tells herself. 

_They say we’re crazy_  
_They say we’re crazy_  
_They say we’re CRAZY_  
_They say we’re_  
_CRAAAZZYY_

“Orochimaru has been killed by Team 7.” Itachi says. Shikako kicks her feet against the table and hums. 

“That sounds right. Did they get Kabuto too?” 

“No, he is still alive.” 

“Damn.” Shikako glances at Itachi. There goes her one chance of convincing him he didn’t have to make Sasuke kill him. Yeah, she understood that Sasuke having Mangekyou would be a huge plus to the Shinobi Alliance and Itachi’s own Sharingan was pretty much dead but the two of them would surely be much better than one. 

Itachi had out argued her by pointing out they could never reveal the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre (Neither had proof of the coup or the order that set the whole tragedy in motion and anyone who could have backed them up was either dead or an enemy) and that Kabuto was going to resurrect him at full power later. It would be much better for everyone if he died. 

The plan was insane but so was their lives. 

“Madara has asked about you.” Itachi says in an off-handed away that does nothing to hide the significance of that statement. Shikako stills. 

“What does he want?” She knew that he knew that Itachi was meeting her, but he had never made any overt attempts to contact her. 

“To see if you are recruitable. Deirdara, Sasori, Kakuzu and Hidan’s deaths were a great blow to Akatsuki.”

“He does know that I’m still loyal to Konoha right? You told him I’m just waiting for the time I can kill Danzo didn’t you?” 

“Of course. I believe he thinks you could be persuaded in joining as long as you did not come into conflict with with our village. The Eight Tails still needs to captured.” 

“He’s nuts.” That startles a little laugh from him. “If he asks tell him I refuse. I’m not capturing the Tailed Beasts or their Hosts _ever._ ” 

“I will.” Kisame’s chakra starts to make its way to their spot. 

“I guess you better leave.” She says. He nods and vanishes. 

_It’s who we are_  
_Doesn’t matter if we’ve gone too far_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s all okay_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s not our day_

Shikako doesn’t need him to say anything when he arrives at dusk. She has already heard that Jiraiya has been killed and they can no longer stall. Pain’s invasion of Konoha will happen soon. If Itachi doesn’t go to fight Sasuke now he will have to take part in it. They can’t risk him turning the tide there. 

“It’s time.” He stands in front of her and all she can do is choke on her words. He’s the last person alive she can call her friend, possibly her first true friend ever, and he’s about to walk off to his death. “You knew this was coming.”

“I know. But it’s-it’s not _fair._ ” Why does he have to give so much? Why do they have to give so much? Why can’t the universe give them a break? 

“Nothing is fair.” He reminds her. “But we don’t do this so that life can be fair to us. We do it so that the people we love can have good lives.” 

“You don’t think I know that?” Because as terrible as all this has been, she can’t imagine doing anything else and risking her friends and family. She can’t imagine allowing herself to fall into Danzo’s hands or die before she can kill him. The consequences would be too great. She _would not_ allow her loved ones to pay for it. _Never._

“You seem to need to be reminded.” Itachi leans down until he is at her eye level. The gentle poke to her forehead is completely unexpected as his soft smile. “See you in another life Shikako.” 

For a moment she is frozen; too caught up in the moment to move. Then she is hugging him fiercely. 

“Good luck.” She says as she breaks the hug as quickly as she began it. If she holds on for too long she’s not going to be able to let him go. 

His back is the last things she sees of him and then she is truly alone. 

_Because it’s who we are_  
_Doesn’t matter if we’ve gone too far_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s all okay_  
_Doesn’t matter if it’s not our day_

Shikako senses Danzo’s chakra leave Konoha towards the Land of Iron. Nearly three years of preparation is about to reap fruit. She let’s a group of assassins attack him on their own. They fail miserably but from what she can sense her future knowledge is still correct about his abilities. She waits for him to enter her area before spring her trap. 

“Sealing Style: Eternal Prison.” A half mile circular area is turned into a prison and people can only leave it if they kill her. Otherwise it will keep running off her chakra indefinitely. Now that she is sure that he can’t run or call for backup. She goes on the offensive. 

“Shikako Nara,” He says when he blocks her first attack. His bodyguards are behind him, clearly waiting for his command. “So you have finally decided to show your face.” 

“I’m going to kill you.” she states.

“No, you won’t.” She can feel Shisui’s eye try to command her but her Shadow-Split is already running. She transforms into her Shadow-Duet. 

“Yes, I will.” 

The fight is the hardest Shikako has ever been in. Her estimations of his fighting skill was spot on. He is fast, powerful, smart, and backed by the two greatest blood limits that have ever existed. 

For every eye she takes out of commission, he wounds her badly enough if she hadn’t had the Gelel-powered chakra storage seal she would be dead. For every blow she lands on her, he returns. Her hawk summons courtesy of Itachi and the Uchiha hidden bases that dated back before Konoha is met with Danzo’s own summons. They clash while their masters engage in a taijutsu match. 

This time Shikako ends up blowing off his right arm. Danzo bodyguards jump in to kill her and she has forgo a killing blow in order to deal with them. The move costs her dearly has Danzo takes advantage of the opening to place a paralyzing seal on her. If her Shadow-Split hadn’t been able to ignore it she would have surely died in that moment. 

It forces Danzo back and removes the seal. They clash again and again. Shikako can’t hold the Shadow-Duet any longer and abandons it. The wounds she suffers aren’t healing anymore. He notices this immediately and switches from big, chakra intensive jutsus to smaller more precise ones. 

This doesn’t matter as his aren’t either. Eventually, it is Shikako who lands the last blow. Danzo topples sideways as the Second Hokage’s sword cuts him in half. Shikako wobbles to where he is. Her arm wrapped around her profusely bleeding stomach. A quick slice to take off his head is her next action. 

She waits to see if he makes another move. The minutes’ tick by and nothing happens. She disrupts her chakra incase of genjutsu. Nothing changes. Danzo is dead. 

Shikako falls to her knees. It’s over. It’s finally over. 

All her energy disappears with that thought. Numbness, the kind that accompanies serious wounds, seeps into every part of her. She can feel her life coming to an end. She’s okay with that. Her mission has been completed, the world isn’t going to end, and her family is going to be safe from Danzo. 

She closes her eyes. The devastated battle field is replaced with a lovely darkness. Yeah, she’s okay with this. It’s time to start again. 

_So you_  
_Save us from what we are_  
_Don’t look clear_  
_It’s all uphill from here_  
_Oooh_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief torture, mentions of attempted suicide, and major character death.


	2. For Its Punishments Are Harsh and Its Rewards Few

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song is Silhouettes by Of Monsters and Men

_It’s hard_  
_Letting go_  
_I’m finally at peace but it feels_  
_Wrong_

Shikamaru was admittedly worried when Temari came striding into the village demanding to talk with his Dad. He had been sure she would be at the Kage Summit taking place in the Land of Iron. 

“Hatake too.” She adds after the fact. It must be serious if Temari can’t be bothered to even make a remark about his laziness. 

What happened? Was the Summit attacked? Did Danzo do something? Was Gaara ambushed before they could get there? She came to him rather than try to go through the normal channels. Something has broken her trust in Konoha’s administration. Has Sand found out about ROOT? 

Shikamaru sets a brisk pace that has everyone scrambling away from them. It’s easy to find his Dad and Kakashi. Since Tsunade is in a coma and Danzo away, they are in charge of the village. Temari insists they speak in private and Shikamaru takes them back to what’s left of the Nara compound. On the way they pick up the rest of Team 10, Naruto, Sakura, and Tenzo. 

“What happened?” Dad asks as soon as they are within the safety of the clan walls. 

“Danzo Shimura was killed on the way to the Kage Summit.” She states bluntly. Shikamaru takes a second to be envious of whoever managed to kill the asshole that ran his sister out of the village. 

“Who did it?” He asks. 

“The better question is why did Danzo have at least a dozen Sharingans and Wood Release?” Everyone sucks in a breath. 

“What.” Kakashi says. Shikamaru hasn’t gotten along with him since he failed to bring his sister back, but in here he is agreement. Blood limit theft is no joke. 

“Sharingans. Wood Release. Your two most powerful blood limits were in the hands of a ninja that I wouldn’t trust if the devil was the only other option. The evidence was all over the battlefield.” 

“Orochimaru,” Dad murmurs. “His ties to the Sanin must go back longer than we thought.” 

“Either way, our Hokage has been killed.” Tenzo points out. Temari leans against the wall like she hasn’t been avoiding talking about the fight itself. She must be worried about factions within Konoha. 

“Gaara is stalling at the Summit for you.” She points out casually which means it’s not. 

“Give us an hour.” His Dad tells her. 

_Slow_  
_I'm getting up_  
_My hands and feet are weaker than before_

Them minus Tenzo head out on the dot. They had agreed that he should stay behind and see if he could make contact with ROOT. As a former member, he was the best option in dealing with the newly headless organization. Shikamaru makes sure that he is next to Temari. 

“Who killed him?” He asks again. 

“Shikako.” He misses the next branch. He’s not the only one.

“WHAT!?” Naruto shouts. “Is she okay?!” 

Temari’s mouth forms a grim line. Shikamaru doesn’t wait for her response. He pours on the speed, shooting pass everyone. 

He’s not going to be late this time. He was too late to protect her against Orochimaru, Itachi, Haido, Danzo. This time. This time he is going to make it. Though it _burns_ him that she just _didn’t let him help her_. They could have taken Danzo on together instead of apart. He could have done more than run into dead-end after dead-ends trying to uncover an organization that has stayed hidden for over ten years in the heart of the village. Instead his sister disappears. Leaving his whole family to wonder what in hell had happened 

A branch breaks under the force of his chakra. 

He’s going to make it in time and then drag her back home so that Mom can give her an earful. That’s one talk he’s looking forward to. 

He firmly ignores the nagging sensation that she’s already gone. It’s the same voice that reminds him that their last conversation spiraled into their usual argument about her missions. Shikako isn’t gone. She can’t be. 

_And you_  
_Are folded on the bed_  
_Where I rest my head_  
_There's nothing I can see_  
_Darkness becomes me_

Today, Kakashi became Hokage. It says something about his life that this is not the most important thing that happens today. The news of the traitor’s death and that he has been stealing blood limits doesn’t even come close to finding out that Shikako might have died killing him. Temari was ordered to tell Konoha what had happened before they had confirmed her death, but neither Kankuro nor Gaara know medical jutsus. 

Kakashi pushes a blinding speed and can’t help but feel with a sickening certainty that he is too late. He is always too late for the things that truly matter. Too late to help his father, Obito, Rin, Sensei and Kushina. Too late to keep mad men away from his students. 

He had scolded Obito for never being on time but the truth is that Kakashi is the one who is always late. Obito always arrived just in time. Kakashi may have taken up his eye but he would give anything for the ability to be in time to save the people he loves. 

_“I’m sorry, Sensei, but I can’t go back.”_ Those where the last word Shikako said to him and they play over and over again in his head. The Sharingan’s perfect recollection makes sure he sees her cold, empty face. Etches her confliction during their fight into his heart. 

He was too late to save his student from the darkness that dragged her under. All those weeks tearing through Grass and then months infiltrating Cloud had been useless. He should have been looking into the quiet corners of the world. Places where the appearance of a young, solitary girl would go unnoticed. 

Everyone had been so _sure_ that she had been kidnapped they had been blind to the possibility something within Konoha had made her flee. 

_“I’m sorry, Sensei, but I can’t go back.”_

Naruto pushes on ahead, assured that if he just moves fast enough then he can make it in time. Kakashi wishes he had that optimism. Instead, he prepares to add another name to the Memorial Stone. 

_But I'm already there_  
_I'm already there_  
_Wherever there is you_  
_I will be there too_

Madness runs in Sasuke family. That is the only explation as why his suppose-to-be-long-dead ancestor is trying convince him to not only join him in taking over the world, but also that Itachi has been trying to save him for years _and_ that his family had been trying to pull of a coup before they were killed. 

_Madara is a liar_

That’s not even getting into the laughing fit that Itachi had during their fight or the fact that Madara thinks he and Shikako have been working together for the last several years in order to kill Danzo. 

_Madara is a liar_

It’s a good thing that it missed him. That and that Madara left to crash the Kage Summit. As much as Sasuke doesn’t want to admit it. His ancestor is strong enough to overpower him. Now that he is gone all Sasuke has to deal with is the stupid Aloe Vera. Slipping his restrains, Sasuke leaves his room. He has no idea where he is but he can’t be that far from his and Itach’s battlefield. 

“You should be in your room.” The White Zetsu calls out. Sasuke scoffs. 

“I don’t care.” 

“Have you decided to believe Madara yet?” 

“The only thing I’m going to believe is that that old man should have died years ago.” 

**“Then we have no use for you.”** Black Zetsu says. 

“Too bad! You would have made a great addition!” The pair launch themselves towards him. Sasuke reaches for Hakko Chakura To only to remember that it has been taken from him. The opening costs him and Zetsu quickly proves to be much stronger than he estimated. 

_There's nothing that I'd take back_  
_But it's hard to say there's nothing I regret_

Three Wolves Mountain is one of the weird landmarks Naruto has seen. It looks like someone got half-way into making a mountain eat his opponent and then just stopped. The snow only enhances the effect. 

Naruto doesn’t give a crap about that right now. He blazes through the samurais’ line of defense; creating clones with half a thought to run interference. He needs to get to Gaara. 

A lightning wrapped fists comes out of nowhere and goes straight for his head. Naruto dodges, sort of, and thinks that maybe he should have waited for the others. Sand erupts between A and him as Gaara takes his side. 

“Enough. The Konoha delegation is here.” 

“Delegation my ass.” The Raikage scoffs. 

“Hey! I’m just here to talk to Gaara!” Naruto rubs his face. It’s weirdly tingly from the near miss. Team 10 comes to his side as Kakashi and Shikamaru’s dad step forward. 

“Why don’t you give them a chance to explain?” Mei asks, her smile polite and deadly. 

“Out first delegation was ambushed.” Shikaku explains. “We thought that backup was necessary.” 

“You mean that someone manage to kill your Hokage.” The Tsukikage derides. “The fight was visible for miles.” 

As the adults talk Naruto turns to Gaara. He knows better than to ask him out loud if Shikako was okay. She was, technically, a missing nin and Danzo the Rat Bastard had been, technically, the Hokage. Nothing good could come out of the other nations know about it until they can sort everything out. 

“Both of them died.” Gaara informs him quietly. Naruto feels like he has been stabbed in the heart. No, it’s worse than that. The world itself feels like it is crumbling beneath his feet. “I–“

“Oh? I was betting that Shikako-chan would have made it out alive.” A voice from up high interrupts. It’s the man in the orange mask who took Sasuke. 

_“What the fuck are you doing here!?”_ Narut shouts. He is angry. So, so angry. He wants to scream and cry and tear something apart. 

“I’ve come to declare war on the Elemental Nations.” The man stated this like it was obvious.

“What makes you think you even stand a chance against us!?” A demanded. The man takes off his mask. 

“The better question is what chance do anyone of you think you have against _me_?” The adults gasp. Naruto squints at the dude’s face. It’s kind of familiar but he can’t place it. 

“Madara!” The Tsukikage says. “You’re suppose to be dead!” 

“How could I die knowing that the world is trapped in this eternal cycle of hatred and anguish?” Ah, so it’s the guy who lost to the First Hokage. The guy goes on to declare that world peace can only be achieved through a mass genjutsu and he’s going to use the Tailed Beasts and the Moon to pull this off. 

“That is such BULLSHIT!” Naruto shouts when he finally shuts up. 

“Peace under illusion is not true peace.” Gaara agrees. “It is only meaningful if the real world manages to accomplish it.” 

“You know nothing of the world.” Madara dismisses. 

“Cloud will never bow to the whims of a mad man!” The Raikage yells. “You’ll have my brother over my dead body!” 

“Then I will see you on the battle field.” Madara states before teleporting away. 

“We will need to combine our forces if we’re going to defeat him.” Gaara states. 

“Agreed.” Mifune, leader of the samurai, adds. “We need to start planning immediately.” 

They hash out a make-shift agreement. They will gather all their shinobis at one, out of the way, spot to do battle with Madara. Naruto insists on being there since Madara is going to come after him specifically. Kakashi and Sakura objects but are overruled. When things are finished, Shikamaru corners Gaara and demands to know the specifics of the attack. Gaara glances at the other Kages before turning to his sister. 

“Take them to the Toko-Gari outpost.” He tells Temari. “Kankuro will explain what happened while I head to Suna and rally our forces.” 

Naruto follows reluctantly. He should pay his respects to Shikako but he doesn’t want to see her body. He wants his last image of her to be her seeing him off at the gates of Konoha. Alive and happy. He should have never left on that training trip. None of this would have happened if he had been in the village. 

Naruto stumbles behind everyone as his body resist his mind’s feeble attempts to move it forward. 

_Cause when I sing, you shout_  
_I breathe out loud_  
_You bleed, we crawl like animals_  
_But when it's over, I'm still awake_

Naruto is in pain and Sakura doesn’t know what to do. His chakra, usually so strong and firm, is flickering like a candle in the breeze. He’s having trouble keeping up the physical enhancements necessary to travel at ninja speed. The medic side of her demands that she fix him, but she has never been good at dealing with wounds of the heart. 

Sakura grieves too. Shikako was one of her oldest friends. Without her, Sakura would have never stayed a ninja let alone become Tsunade-sama’s apprentice. Shikako was so amazing. It drove Sakura farther. To feel like she deserved to stand side by side with Shikako. She has missed her each and every day that she has been gone. 

But it’s not the same for Naruto. Shikako was his _first_ friend. His teammate and family in all but blood. Though Sakura is now part of Team 7, she is very aware that she is Shikako’s replacement. The ghost of her haunts every mission, every training session, every hangout. There is always an empty place set for her, enough supplies for an extra person tucked away in a scroll. Even Sakura, who has never had a mission with Shikako, finds herself turning to ask a question to someone who is not there. 

The hole is wide enough to swallow an ocean and even those who don’t know why it’s there can see it. 

Naruto stumbles and Sakura catches him. She puts his arm around her shoulder and grabs his waist to support him. 

“Thanks Sakura-chan.” He mumbles. 

“You’re welcome.” The silence that stretches out between them is laden with pain. 

“She broken Rule Number 1.” He mutters. “She broken her own rule.” 

Her vision blurs with tears. 

“We’ll keep it.” She whispers fiercely. “We’ll find Sasuke-kun and make sure it never get’s broken again.”

“Yeah,” His voice fills with determination. “You better believe it.” 

The arrive at the outpost and Kankuro nearly runs into them when he comes out to greet them. 

“About damn time you guys turned up.” He says before practically dragging them inside. “What the hell took you so long?” 

“Madara came back from the dead and started the Fourth Shinobi War.” Temari says scathingly. 

“What?” Kankuro double-takes at that. 

“Yeah, we were kind of busy dealing with it. What’s going on?”

“See for yourself.” Kankuro pushes open a door. 

“I need that seal! NOW!” 

“We’re loosing her again!”

“Where’s Haji?” The chaos of a make-shift medical room is familiar to Sakura. It’s understaffed for what needs to be done. The patient’s heart won’t beat on it’s own and she can tell from the scattered equipment that at least two surgeries have already taken place. This is all familiar to her. What causes Sakura to stop and stare is the patient. 

It’s Shikako. 

Sakura shoves Naruto into Kakashi-sensei’s arms and flies to the bed. The ninja part for her like a wave retreating into the sea. Green chakra glows in her hands as she begins her most important battle yet. 

Rule Number 1 of Team 7 hasn't been broken yet. 

_A thousand silhouettes dancing on my chest_  
_No matter where I sleep, you are haunting me_

It’s nice in the darkness. The weightless place is free from pain and suffering. Shikako drifts, uncaring where she goes. 

A brush of something catches her attention. It’s soft, gentle, and familiar in a way she can’t place. It tries to bring her closer to it, but she is like water in its hands. Still it is persistent and it grows. She thinks there are others in it. All soft and gentle and familiar. 

A little light appears in the darkness. It’s bright, blue, determined. It stands with the familiar darkness. There’s now a streak of white. Fierce, fragile, blazing and stuttering at the same time. A red fire joins them. Twisting in the darkness to form patterns inside itself. 

There are others. A friendly light made up of shades of green. A ball of yellow, patient and caring. More appear. One of lilac and bright yellow, a second of white and red, and a third tiny, black, and buzzing. Two bright green lights jump up and down, one smaller than the other. A brown light and a white light are next to them. 

More appear that she knows are there but not there. A trio of lights that are tan, clear, purple, black, red. One the grey of smoke standing right next to scarlet. A solid brown that has a tan mark running through it. The light blue of ice next to a light the color of old steel. A purple encircled in gold. Two brown lights, one covered in scars. A blue light that is constantly moving downwards but staying in place. Another light that constantly changing but staying the same. One light is completely black but unlike the familiar black or the Darkness. A light that reminds her of the shine of a hammer. A light the color of green and snow. A light that is grey and flat but still lively. 

They blaze in the darkness. Brightening everything until there was only as small patch where should could be that they weren’t there. It is a deep patch and she knows that if she chooses she could dive into it. Be forever in the safety of the darkness. 

But

The lights are nice. They are…home. Hasn’t she wanted to go home for forever? 

She can’t go home. 

Come home. The lights tell her. 

Shikako stares at them. So much pain, so much possible happiness. Does she really want to risk returning to the all the pain and suffering? 

Come home. The lights beg. We miss you. 

The bright blue determined light approaches her. It’s there like a hand, promising to help her if she only takes the opportunity. 

You won’t be alone. It tells her. I will make sure of it. 

It sounds too good to be true. Nothing in Shikako’s life goes that well. But….but she wants to believe. 

Let’s go home. 

She takes its hand and joins the other lights. 

_But I'm already there_  
_I'm already there_  
_Wherever there is you_  
_I will be there too_

The first thing Shikako notices is the white of the hospital walls. It confuses her because she hasn’t been anywhere near a hospital in years. The next thing she notices is that someone is holding her hand. She blinks and stares up at him. 

“Shikamaru?” He discards her hand in favor of clinging to her like a koala. 

“Shikako! You’re awake!” Naruto, yes that is Naruto, shouts from her bedside. He is bouncing up and down with barely contained glee. 

“Not so loud, idiot.” Sasuke can’t even manage a proper scowl. The smile on his face is canceling it out. 

“I think it’s a good time to be loud.” Kakashi says, leaning near the door. 

“Where am I?” 

“Konoha duh,” Naruto says. “We brought you home as soon as Sakura-chan said you could be moved.” 

“But,” She fumbles over the words. “But I _died_.” 

“Only mostly. Gaara was able to bring you back.” Kakashi says. She stares at him. That made zero sense. He puts his hands in his pockets. “He was resurrected himself earlier this year. He studied the technique to make sure there weren’t any negative side-effects.” 

Chiyo’s life swapping technique. That makes a little more sense. 

“….Everything is okay.” 

“I wouldn’t say that just yet.” Sasuke mutters. Everyone shoots him a look. Shikamaru’s is particularly vicious. 

“What? What’s going on?!” Did she miss something? Did she fail to actually kill Danzo?

“Some old-fart is trying to take over the world with the moon.” Naruto says. “But don’t worry! All the nations have come together and we’re going to kick his ass!” 

“Oh, right, Madara.” Everyone looks at her. Shikako is now _very_ aware that Sasuke is in the room. “Um, he tried to recruit me?” 

“What.” Sasuke says. 

“I don’t think he was _serious_ about it. Just seeing if he could replenish Akatsuki’s members.” 

“He told you his plan?” Shikamaru asks, frowning. 

“Well, yeah. It was part of the recruitment spiel.” She is _so_ happy that she has gotten better at lying on the fly. 

“Oh my god! You didn’t tell us she was awake?!” Ino bursts into the room with all the enthusiasm of a hurricane. Choji, Mom, and Dad are behind her. Shikamaru is peeled off of her so that Mom and Dad can hug her. She huddles into their embrace the way a man coming out of a blizzard does to a fire. 

Sakura, Team 8, and Team Guy are not far behind. The room is packed to the gills and no one seems to care. It’s finally sinking in that she’s home. She’s made it. Tears slowly, quietly form at the corners of her eyes. Words cling to the tip of her tongue. Ones that she hasn’t said in years. 

“Ah…tadaima.” 

“Okaeri.” They all respond. Shikako pretends she’s not full out crying as her shadow detaches to include everyone in the hug. She probably shouldn’t have bothered since immediately after that they dogpile her. 

She is _home._

 _Cause I'm already there_   
_I'm already there_   
_Wherever there is you_   
_I will be there too._

The preparations for the war sweep them all up. Shikako has to insist that she be apart of it but eventually they cave. Though their conditions are numerous. Ino’s is the easiest to deal with. She just wants to go shopping so that Shikako stops looking like ‘a walking fashion disaster’. 

Shikako will not admit that she cried a little when Ino handed her a jacket with the Nara Clan symbol on it. Nope, not one bit. 

Just like she won’t admit that when Kakashi offered her his forehead protector to replace her own she was deeply moved. To be fair, he won’t admit that he got a little weepy when she revealed that she still had her original one sealed away on one of the many storage seals littering her body. Kakashi tying it securely around her forehead is something neither minds mentioning. 

The hardest condition to meet is giving her Dad a run down of what happened while she was a missing nin. She doesn’t tell him about her past life, but she does say that she has been aware of everything since the moment she was born. 

That she figured out the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre. Of ROOT and Danzo’s illegal actions. It was her digging that caused Danzo to try and capture her in order to see what she knew. She talks about running and killing and torturing some of her pursues to find out what they knew about her. The dark days when everything seemed pointless. How her Shadow-Split is now a full-fledge personality and she doesn’t see a way to become one with herself every again. 

She talks about Itachi finding her and them figuring out how to deal with Danzo. The friendship they slide into because there was no one else. She lies and says he told her about Danzo’s Sharingan as well as the weakness it has. She also lies and tells him that she learned Madara’s plan from Itachi. That Zetsu is capable of disguising himself of anyone who comes into contact with him. Also that Kabuto recently joined Akatsuki and now can raise the dead. 

She’s pretty sure that Dad knows that she’s fibbing some things but, thankfully, he doesn’t press. The information is put into effect immediately. Shikako’s stripped down storage seals are added to every person’s supply. Extra layers of identification are included in protection details. Some divisions are changed up so that there is at least one sealing expert in each. 

It’s as she is trying to find out where she has been put that Sai corners her. 

“I’m sorry.” He looks every bit of it. She pats him on the shoulder. 

“I know and I forgave you a long time ago.” 

“But I–“ She puts a hand over his mouth. 

“Really. We’re good. We fought, I kicked your ass, we are good.” He musters up a legitimate smile at that. 

“Ah, yes. How could I forget that Team 7 tradition?” 

“I have no idea, but as punishment you should pay for everyone’s Ichiraku’s when this is over.” 

“Yeah!” Naruto says out of nowhere. “That’s a great idea! Thanks Sai!” 

“My wallet is doomed.” He deadpans. Shikako chuckles at that. God, it’s good to be home. 

“Come on,” She calls out. “It’s time to line up.” 

The rows of shinobi are quite impressive when they are all together in neat rows. Neither village held back in and even some of the smaller villages contributed. Shikako looks up at the Generals standing above them all from her position in the Third Division. 

Gaara’s speech had been impressive in the anime but, wow, it was something else in person. She could feel the ninja let go of their suspicion of each other at his words. They truly become Shinobi in that moment. Shikako raises her voice in a cheer as the call to head out is given. 

The final fight takes place in the Land of Lightning. Madara stares down at Shikako, Naruto, and Sasuke. Arrogance in every bone of his body. 

“So, all the shinobi in the world and only three brats are sent against me.” 

“We’re enough.” Shikako says, activating her Shadow-Duet. The Gelel stone is at full power and now there are two of her. Hovering over the battlefield like angels of death. 

“More than enough.” Sasuke adds, summoning Susanoo. 

“Bring it, you old bastard!” Naruto shouts, going into Kurama’s sage mode. 

They fight. 

Madara proves that the stories of his power were not exaggerations. One on one, he would have defeated them. 

But they aren’t fighting one on one. When Shikako falls Sasuke catches her as Naruto distracts Madara. When Naruto is pounded into the ground Shikako protects him and Sasuke keeps Madara from killing them. Sasuke is held up by Naruto when he needs a moment and it’s Shikako’s turn to trade blows with Madara. 

They are three in one now and Madara isn’t enough. Not with his army of Sharingan-controlled Bijuu. Not with his Eternal Mangekyou or Wood Release. Shikako doesn’t know how the long the battle goes on for. It’s a long time. Eventually, painfully, they win. The finishing blow is comes from all of them at once. 

The explosion is quite spectacular if she says so herself. 

“We…did it?” She ask as they stand over Madara’s body. 

“We DID IT! I told you we would do it!” Naruto pumps a fist into the air and ends the sage-mode. He then falls forward completely exhausted. The only reason he doesn’t eat dirt is because Sasuke props him up. 

“Moron.” He says fondly like he isn’t about to keel over either. Shikako ends the Shadow-Duet and isn’t ready for the snap back. She falls into both of them. Destroying Sasuke’s careful balance. For some reason none of them hit the ground. 

“Oomph, you three are heavy.” 

“Kakashi-sensei?” 

“Where have you been?” Naruto demands sleepily. 

“Sorry, there was a snake problem I had to take care of.” 

“The rest of the war is over?” Shikako asks. The other fights had still been going strong the last time she checked. 

“Yeah, it’s over.” 

“Is my family okay?” 

“Well, your brother will never be able to convince anyone he’s lazy ever again, but I think he’ll survive.” Kakashi is making one of his eye smiles. She can’t see it but she knows it is there. A giggle escapes her. 

“We did it.” 

“Ichiraku’s on you this time sensei.” Sasuke says. 

“Nah, Sai already promised he’d cover it.” 

“And how did you convince him of that?” 

“Let’s figure this out when we get home, nei?” 

“Yeah, let’s go home!” 

_I’m already there_  
_I’m already there_

It takes a little longer than that because armies can’t just move out of on a dime. Shikako sticks near her family for most of it just to remind herself that they are alive. Kakashi pulls her away with some excuse that no one buys but it’s _Kakashi_. 

“I ran into Itachi during the fighting.” He says when they are in private. Shikako sucks in a breath. 

“How…how was he?” 

“Good. He helped me get Kabuto to undo the Edo Tensei.” Kakashi pauses. “He was happy to learn that you survived your fight with Danzo.” 

Shikako doesn’t know what to say to that. She had wished he had survived his match with Sasuke except she doesn’t because that would have ruined everything. 

“Did he leave me a message?” 

“Just that his promise still stands.” Kakashi looks at her, clearly hoping she will explain what he meant. 

_See you in another life Shikako._

“Oh. Well, ah, thank you for passing it along.” 

“No problem.” They both stand there awkwardly for a moment. “He died smiling.” 

Shikako swallows. 

“Good.” 

“Oi Shikako! Sensei! Where are you?!” Naruto’s impossibly loud voice. “I can see Konoha!” 

“I guess we better get going before Naruto starts sending out his clones.” 

“Maaa, maybe.” 

The whole Konoha Forces march through the front to great fanfare. A lot of it seems to be directed at Team 7 though Shikako is wondering how the citizen knew of their role in the war. 

It actually takes some skill to disappear from the festivities. Team 7 is actually the last ones to make it to Ichiraku’s. Team Guy are holding a competition to see who can down the most bowls of ramen. Naruto decries the injustice that they didn’t wait for him and quickly takes a seat. Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Sai have stayed out of it. Preferring to watch in morbid fasciantion. Sasuke and Shikako joins them as Kakashi is dragged in whether he likes it or not. 

Mom and Dad show up later. Anko, Yakumo, Tenzo, and Iruka drop in for just to say hello and end up staying for hours. Special Jonin and full Jonin flit in and out. Partly because they aren’t as close as everyone else in the group and partly because Ichiraku’s is literally overflowing and there’s no more room for them. 

“I’m going to have to expand.” Teuchi muses. 

“That’s a great idea! I’ll definitely help!” Naruto launches forward at that and sends a bowl of ramen, not his own, flying. 

“Naruto!” Shouts Sakura as she gets covered in broth. The actually bowl missing her. 

“My ramen!” Kiba yells. 

“Ramen!” Naruto choruses. Shikako laughs. It’s good to be home. 

_Wherever there is you_  
_I will be there too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought there would be only darkness. You thought there would be only pain and suffering. You thought Shikabane-hime would stay dead. *throws glittering in the air* Surprise motherfuckers.

**Author's Note:**

> Brief torture, mentions of attempted suicide, and major character death.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [A Shadow of Dying Will](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7847101) by [ForestAngel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForestAngel/pseuds/ForestAngel)




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